A love like Jesus from Egyptian Christians

I have so far avoided talking about the problems in Egypt so far as I have not really had the time to fully understand what is going on. I have seen the pictures in the news and have seen some very disturbing images from various media channels. Possibly the worst I have personally seen is the video of a green van running down people in the street, I have provided a link to the video but would advise discretion as it is very disturbing. Each night while watching the news with my parents the stories from Egypt inevitably become a talking point with my parents talking about the time they spent there.

But the story I really want to talk about has its roots a little further back than the riots. During New Years Mass at a Coptic Church in Alexandria a suicide attack left 23 Coptic Christians dead and 97 others injured. The Coptic Church faces many threats from Islamist extremists and have faced adversity many times and while they are "free" to practice their religion in reality the legal system makes it as difficult as it can for Christians. In the aftermath of the attack subsequent attacks were suspected and it appeared as if the situation could easily escalate and more attacks on the Coptic community could follow.

Roll on to the recent riots from the Egyptian population in their attempts to force a regime change in their country and an amazing sight of Christian love from Egyptian Christians for their Muslim neighbours. Now don't get me wrong I have not made the mistake of labelling all Muslims as extremists and I am fully aware that Islam is a peaceful religion. But for me the image below shows Christians living out the very essence and teachings of Christ.

Egyptian Christians protecting their Muslim neighbours as they pray in Tahir Square.
Picture from The Islamist Workplace.

Luke 10:29-37 (NIV)

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

I don't think anyone could blame the Christians of Egypt if they decided to shy away and find somewhere safe for themselves. I think people could even understand the Christians of Egypt not wanting to risk their own lives for the sake of a religion and community that has in the past been openly hostile towards them and through legislation tries to make their lives as difficult as possible. I think It could also be understood that a community that has the extreme wings of the Islamists could have become an object of hate for them. But these Christians at considerable danger to themselves are living out the teachings of Christ, loving their neighbour, serving their neighbours loving those who have hated them for their love of Christ and with no real reward for themselves. To create a human shield to try and protect their Muslim neighbours takes real conviction and a love like that of Jesus.

Matthew 10:22 (NIV)
     All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

We have been told, taught and warned that because of our love for the Lord we will be the object of hate. But through the strength we are given through Christ we can stand firm and be safe in the knowledge that Christ sees our actions and will reward us for our faith. Those of us who can stand firm in the face of adversity and love our fellow man will be saved. The truth that we need to remember is that we can all stand firm if we rely on the power and strength of Christ instead of our own strength.

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
     I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Egypt as they go through this troubled and violent time. My prayers are that this situation can be solved with the least amount of further bloodshed and violence. I also pray that whatever the outcome of the unrest in Egypt right now that the result will be a country that is free open and democratic, a country that is respectful of all people regardless of their religion. I also pray that we can all learn from the example set by these brave Christians as they live out their beliefs and the teachings of Christ that we too can do the same in whatever circumstance we find ourself in even if we have to place ourselves at risk to do so.

Why do you still willingly crucify Jesus?

Now this post was triggered by something that happened yesterday, it is not a dig at anyone in particular or a personal attack but it is a heartfelt plea. In our lives we have a choice of what to do with our lives, we can choose to follow Christ or we can go and do what we want, do it our way. Doing it our way is not necessarily sinful, but when attempting to do things on our own we have neither the strength or the ability to hold out against the methods of the enemy for long. I know that we can choose to sin without the enemy being behind it, but when we weaken ourselves by excluding Christ we only make it easier for him when he does launch an inevitable attack.

When we have a choice to do things in a way that we know Christ would not have done then we are making a concious choice to sin. When we make these concious choices to sin we are turning or backs on Christ's teachings. Worse than that, we add to the suffering Christ bore for us on the cross. Christ died for all our sins, past present and future and non of us will be sinless, it is an impossible goal. But that does not allow us scope to sin when we feel like it, it does not give us carte blanc to do what we feel like when we feel like it.

We all have the capacity to sin, we are all human after all, but that also means we have the capacity, especially through Christ to choose not to sin also. Think about your life and think about the choices you make, your actions and your motivations. Are they all that they should be, or does sin enter in from time to time, is it that you are sometimes doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Even an action that looks right can be sinful if it is done with sinful and wrong motives.

If you want to live for Christ it requires a whole of life change, it is not enough to just say that you believe in Christ and want to live for Him. If that was true then you would be making the changes to live like Christ, you can't truly believe in the saving Grace and Love of Christ if you are content to remain the way that you were before you "found" Christ. Sure believing in Christ and the desire to live for Him is a good thing, but it is but one step of many steps to following Christ, taking one step towards Him is not following, following requires step after step after step, you have to walk. Just taking one step leaves the rest of your personal path with Christ unwalked and unexplored.

Each time we sin, each time we choose to go against Christ we are contributing to the suffering of our crucified Lord, we drive the nails further in we add to the weight on His heart and shoulders. When we knowingly and willingly choose to do what we know is wrong in Christ we become as much a part of the crucifixion as the centurion, Pilate or the Pharisees.

We know what Christ wants us to do, we also know our own human wants and desires, but we need to be mindful of where these desires come from and the price we pay for giving in to them. We need to ask God to help us with our weaknesses and to help us live without giving into them, but we also need to accept that help. We gain nothing from praying time and time again for help if when it comes along we choose not to accept it. Take a look at your life, look and see the places when you need it to be cleaned or even the parts that need to be cut away. Ask for help in doing this and then set to work with God's guidance.

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

     I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

Doubts and fears

Doubt is an interesting phenomenon. We are taught as Christians that we should not doubt God, that he who believes without seeing is blessed. But is doubt always a bad thing?

When we are living our lives and trying to follow Gods plan it is inevitable that doubt will creep in at some point. Something will give you cause to pause and think is this the right plan of action for me? Is this what I should be doing?

It is not that we are doubting God or His plans, but rather that we are questioning if we have made the right interpretation of the plan in our lives. The doubt comes in because we are only human and more than capable of getting things wrong and misunderstanding things. Self doubt is something that is difficult to battle, especially as the causes of the doubt may not have originated in us either. It can be that some words in passing from a friend or lack of support may cause us to rethink things through and introduce this self doubt. And once started the self doubt begins to grow.

From this doubt comes the fear that we may be doing the wrong thing, that the path we have started heading down is in fact the wrong path. What do we do when this doubt and fear set in? how do we find the answer and decide if we should stick to our path or change it?

The answer every time has to be prayer. Ask for guidance, ask for knowledge and wisdom. Pray constantly until you are given the answers you need, until it becomes clear in your mind the direction to take. Paul once wrote some encouraging words to the Church in Philippii:

Philippians 1:6

    There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. 

If there is any doubt or a fear that you are not doing God's work or that you are not heading along the right path ask. Ask and ask again, because God will give you guidance, He will not be silent. You may be struggling to hear what He is saying but the answer will be there.

Jeremiah 29:11-14
    I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 
   "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. 
   "When you come looking for me, you'll find me.
  "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else,  I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree.
  "I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"-God's Decree-"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

God has plans for all of us, they may not always be clear, at time you will doubt that you have understood them. But God has told us already that when we are serious about seeking Him you will find Him, when you call on Him He will listen. You may not be in exile in the same way as the Israelites were but God will bring you back from the self doubt and bring you back to the point where you can start off from again.

My musical life

Music is one of the most important things in my life. I almost live my life to a soundtrack, when I am alone I always have my music on be that through a sound system or via my ipod music is always there. If I cannot listen to music for any reason you can guarantee I have a song in my head, and if I am alone I may even sing to myself. When I am driving I always have some music playing and 9 times out of 10 I will be singing at the top of my voice enjoying myself hugely.

Recently the types of music I have been listening to in the car has changed. I have spent a huge amount of time driving recently and I find myself listening to the same recordings again and again. It is a CD my Mum bought a number of years ago and is of a Christian singing group from New Zealand. I have always loved this CD but have only recently managed to get a copy of it on my ipod. There are so many inspiring tracks on there that talk of everything from being thankful to God for His love to haunting melodies that speak of God's presence even in the rough times.

It is amazing the ways God can bless us, we can listen to the same music time and time again. Yet one day a track you have heard thousands of times can suddenly speak a clear message to you. While having a tough week at work there have been a couple of tracks which have lifted me as soon as I have heard the introduction notes. There are many things in this world that can get us down and cause us to feel terrible. But we have an amazing God and a huge amount to be thankful for. As i quoted last night;

Philippians 4:4 (KJV)
     Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Psalm 32:10

Psalm 32:10
        God-defiers are always in trouble;
            God-affirmers find themselves loved
            every time they turn around.

I am glad that I have my God. I rejoice that He loves me. I am amazed that He died for me. I am thankful that I have everything I need through Him.

Philippians 4:4 (KJV)
    Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.